There were three cages around us. Each of them had a monster in it. We plan to carry them by four werewolves in each cage every two hours. The rest will serve as our eyes and ears, especially the humans. From the way I see the situation, our usual number of days of the trip, I believed, will be tripled or more. We have traveled two weeks already from the last woods we stopped to the pack village. Perhaps we will be reaching the village in three weeks or so considering the weight of those cages. I don't even know how I made those cages with just ancient words coming out of my mouth. But I hope we can travel faster than that since we have dead bodies with us. "Is everything all right, Brother Ethan?" Aiden asked right after we handed over our cage to the next batch to carry it. He even approached me from the back to ask that. "What do you mean?" I asked, starting to feel suspicious of my brother. My wolf knows he had something to ask me but I believed he was simply w
I slowly open my eyes and take in my surroundings. My head throbs and begin to feel a sense of disorientation. Then I try to remember what happened, but all my brain can recall is the vivid dream I was just in. Everything in it was so real, I could feel the emotions and sensations. As my eyes look around, I realize that I am not in my own bed or room. My wolf was in a cozy, yet unfamiliar room. The quaint decor and soft lighting soothe as I try to piece together what has happened. Suddenly, I heard a knock on the door. Aiden and Penelope come in. "Hey, you're finally up," Aiden says. "We were starting to get worried. How are you feeling?" "My wolf still has two arms and legs, so I guess nothing's wrong with me," I said before sitting up on the bed. "I just can't remember how I got here." "We found you unconscious in the middle on our way back to the village, Ethan," Penelope explains. "We brought you back here to rest. You've been asleep for about a week"
"We better discuss this offer in my office, Ethan." Alpha Romulo suggested. "It's inappropriate for us to talk in the middle of the woods." Leaving no choice, my wolf followed Alpha Romulo and his two betas back to the village. I already stayed enough in the woods. As a werewolf guardian, it is my job to keep an eye on our pack. After putting on some clothes, Alpha Romulo and I continued talking, discussing the events that had transpired since my arrival back in the pack. As we sat in his office, he leaned forward, his piercing blue eyes locking onto mine. "Ezekiel and I have an offer for you," he said, his voice low and serious. Could not help but raise an eyebrow, feeling intrigued. "What kind of offer? And why it has to be with Ezekiel?" "It's about your wolf," he replied. "We've been having some trouble with the students at the school. There have been some incidents, and we need extra security. Your wolf is the best candidate for the job." My wolf con
Aiden's dormitory room was dimly lit with only a small desk lamp illuminating the space. We were sitting on opposite ends of his bed, continuing our conversation about the unusual happenings around the school. I had just mentioned Karen's name when I noticed a sudden shift in Aiden's facial expressions. His brows furrowed and his lips pressed into a tight line. It was clear that Karen was a sensitive topic for him. "What do you know about Karen?" I asked, trying to probe gently. Aiden let out a sigh and leaned back against the wall. "Penelope and some of her female friends have been looking for Karen these days. We were supposed to go on a camping trip together, but she never showed up. Until someone witnessed that she turned into a monster." My wolf felt a pang of sympathy for Penelope knowing she and Karen were best friends. It must have been difficult to have someone you care about just disappear with no explanation. So I decided to change the topic, but Aiden
"Look at this," I said, pointing to the scratches on the trees. "Do you think this may be where the animal disappeared to?" Aiden was taken aback by the sight of the claw marks, and his facial expression changed into concern and fear. He opened his mouth to say something, but then quickly shut it again. He was obviously trying to make sense of what we just saw. "Wait a minute," he said finally. "Do you think these people were attacked by a werewolf or something?" That thought had not crossed my mind until Aiden mentioned it. But after seeing the claw marks, it seemed to be the most logical explanation. I started to feel a knot forming in my stomach. "I'm not sure," I replied slowly. "But it's possible. We should be careful from now on." We both looked around, trying to see if there were any signs of the beast around us. But the forest was eerily quiet and we could hardly see anything because of the darkness. We decided it was best if we headed back to his dor
We made our way back to my dormitory, both adrenaline and fear still coursing through our veins. When we got to my room, I collapsed on the bed, feeling helpless and exhausted. Aiden sat next to me, still shaken. "Just don't put into your heart what Ezekiel told you earlier, Ethan. For what it's worth, we made it out okay. And we did the right thing." I nodded, still processing everything that had just happened. "Don't worry, I don't have any hard feelings about what Ezekiel told me earlier. It's just I am more concerned about the student." As we sat there catching our breath, I suddenly realized something. "Hey, you know that spell we were talking about earlier?" Aiden looked at me, confusion etched on his face. "Yeah?" "I think it might be time to try it," I said, feeling a rush of excitement. He laughed. "You're insane, Brother Ethan. You said it yourself that you still need enough time to study it. What if it won't work?" "Then, there's one way to f
It was a sunny day, and the rugby team was out on the field practicing. Aiden was there, among the others, sweating and pushing himself to his limits. Mark and I walked over to the bench and found Penelope and her circle of friends chatting away. As we approached, I noticed that Karen wasn't there. "Hey, Penelope," I said, greeting her with a smile. She looked up and returned the smile, surprised to see me. "Hey," she said. "What brings you here?" "Just wanted to say hi," I said. "How's everything going?" She shrugged. "Same old, same old. Just hanging out with the girls." I glanced around at the group, confirming Karen's existence. "Hey, have you seen Karen these days?" Penelope shook her head. "No, not today. Why?" I hesitated for a moment, then decided to tell her. "Karen's been struggling with some health issues lately. And I am trying to help her out as best we can." Penelope was with her human friends so I choose the words from their pers
It was then that we saw the beast that had caused the disturbance. A new monster will be added to my list. A Bigfoot monster stood before us, towering over us with its massive form. That was what my brain referred to as the monster. Its fur was thick and shaggy, and its eyes glowed with a menacing red hue. But as werewolves, we had to be careful not to shift into our wolf forms in front of the humans around us. That's when Penelope and Lilith, sprang to action. They helped the humans inside the restaurant evacuate through the emergency exit door, ensuring their safety before the monster could cause more harm. "For God's sake!" Aiden exclaimed in disbelief. "Huge monsters seemed to love living in New Orleans. What are we going to do now, huh, Ethan?" "What else could it be?" Mark said. "We have to kill this monster as soon as possible-" "Wait." I cut in. "Ezekiel once told us at the meeting that we must not kill monsters. We must protect them as well." "Are you
"This changes everything, Ethan," he murmured softly. "We might stand a chance against the witches if we unite our forces." Despite that my wolf still hadn't gotten the picture of his plan, I nodded in agreement, feeling a newfound sense of hope coursing through my veins. "Then we must get this done, Hunter," Aiden replied on my behalf. "The entire city has been hunted by the witches. It was them who are behind this madness." "Count me in," Conrad seconded, "Even if I don't have anything about magic spells or my wolf being the weakest in this group, I will help you with all I could have." "By the way, who are you people?" I could not help but ask those two werewolves Hunter Grey brought with him. They barely open their mouths as soon as they appeared in the bunker. And if I am not mistaken, they are not Hunter's friends or part of his pack. However, my instinct tells me that they were twins or siblings when they did not just have the same physical appearance b
"Okay, I think we plan B?" Conrad asked, his voice strained with worries, especially when Penelope's wolf started getting wild. "Ethan? Aiden? Plan B?" Penelope was now in her full werewolf transformation. And just like the first time that I met her in my dream, even my werewolf eyes could barely recognize her anymore. She was as though everything changed in just a blink of an eye from the once loving and caring Penelope, who turned into a wild murderer werewolf. And it was proven when she just jumped on top of me and began attacking me with her sharp and elongated claws and fangs. Aiden and Conrad were both stunned and dumbfounded by how strong Penelope's wolf really is. They were simply standing on their spots with their eyes wide open while Penelope was trying to bite and rip me apart. But I did not let her do what she really wants to happen. So, I put enough strength into my fist and punched her straight in the face. Aiden and Conrad's jaws dropped to the g
"Who said I am leaving her here?" I asked. "I brought her here so we could save Penelope from the witches. But first, we have to make sure she cannot escape or do something to us." Conrad, without asking further questions, wandered the entire house to look for anything we could use to hold Penelope. Aiden kept on talking to her, begging her to wake up. My wolf, on the other hand, kept my sharp eyes monitoring outside the house. I had to make sure no werewolves managed to follow me, especially since the house we are in has no fences around. Anyone can barge in at any time. Needless to say, our scents are everywhere. Newly bitten or shifted werewolves have more heightened senses compared to us. "Are you sure, Brother Ethan?" Aiden's face started to brighten. "Please, we need to help her. She must remember us as soon as possible." I nodded to Aiden without looking at him. Based on my quick observation, Penelope's condition after getting hit by lightning and thunde
"Penelope?" Conrad and Aiden breathed out her name in disbelief. "Is that really you, Penelope? What are you doing? Why are you with them?" Aiden asked, his voice laced with concern. "Isn't it obvious?" Penelope extended her response with a smile on her face. "I am here to be with you and Ethan, Aiden. And I missed you both so much. Get out of there, Aiden. Come. You can hug me." Despite Penelope's sweet and convincing words, my heightened wolf could barely sense and feel any emotions from her eyes. She managed to spill those words but I didn't sense any sincerity from her voice. Sad to say, Aiden was blinded by it. He begged me to remove the protective barrier so he can hug Penelope. I cannot blame him to fell for her words. My little brother was still in love with Penelope even if he already knew that she no longer belongs to him. Penelope loves me. That is why she accepted my wolf to be her mate. "Please, Brother Ethan," Aiden continued. His tears began pour
"How I wish you won't regret losing us again, Alpha Romulo," I replied, my voice strained with utter regret and dismay. "If we were the monsters you think we are, isn't it ironic that we are still locked up in this hell of a place?" Alpha Romulo's expression remained impassive, save for a flicker of curiosity in his eyes. Perhaps he was intrigued by my sudden shift in tone, my sincerity flowing through each word. After a lingering pause, he nodded to his betas, signaling their departure. They evacuated the place, leaving us alone once again, a sense of resignation settled upon us. We were trapped with no way to escape the inevitable. The hours ticked by. And the weight of our impending doom hanging heavily in the air. "You could have done something, Ethan," Conrad highly suggested it. "The Ethan that I know would do something, everything, in his power to make things right. But you didn't. And I started to doubt if you are the real one." "We are the real ones, Conr
All the information Conrad and Alpha Romulo brought to us was news to me to the point that I no longer knows what to do. Using magic was no longer an option for me. If I am gonna use magic, then what? Aiden and I will be running for our lives again? Where? To the outside world where we could only see burned trees, abandoned buildings, shoved grounds, and empty streets? To start a new life? There is no life outside anymore. We see it with our own eyes. Everyone was already occupying this underground world in order to survive. The three werewolf packs, despite their differences, managed to survive for two consecutive years. It only means there is no hope outside. While holding onto those awful thoughts, I could not help but drop my butt to the ground with my arms wrapping around my knees and my eyes closed. The holding cell was dimly lit, with the only source of light coming from a small window, casting shadows across the cold, stone walls. Aiden and Conrad lay on
"The only person who can answer our questions is Alpha Romulo, Aiden. The two of us missed the chance for two years, remember? And I can't wait to see him," I replied, my voice filled with overwhelming excitement. "Me either, Brother Ethan," Aiden agreed before he shrugged at me. "But do you think he grows old that much in two years?" I don't know what kind of question was that but all I know is that within those years, a lot of things could have happened. That includes Penelope. My wolf missed her so badly. I want to hold her hands. Kiss her lips for like ten minutes straight. But then again, it has been two years passed already. A lot of things could have happened within those long years of waiting. Perhaps Penelope happened to have her new mate by now. After a few minutes walk, Dexter stopped walking. Then Alpha Romulo emerged from the shadows, his tall figure illuminated by the pale tube lights. His intense gaze assessed us from head to toe, suspicion clouding his piercing e
"Yes. He's pretty alive." Dexter replied, his voice calm. "If you have more questions to ask, please, address them to Alpha Romulo. I am not allowed to give you more information about anything. My wolf was simply tonight's in charge to keep an eye on the mansion." Indeed, I had a lot of questions to ask Alpha Romulo. Questions that he was the only one who knows the answer. On the bright side, knowing that he was alive gives us faith and hope. Who could have thought the protective spell I cast two years ago remains strong and become their source of protection? But two years? Sorry, but it was pretty hard to believe when we just stayed in the past for weeks. Meanwhile, Aiden and I walked side by side, our spirits high, as Dexter confirmed the incredible news. Alpha Romulo and some of our werewolf guardians were still alive. For the past two years, they believed we perished in the battle against the witches, but now there was hope shining through. Dexter had confir
"What about the pack?" Aiden highly suggested it. "Perhaps if we go there, we could find Alpha Romulo. After all, he is one of the most powerful wolves I have ever known. Or at least one from the pack, right?" Everything began with Romulo's pack. His mansion has been the haven for the witches. They come and go without being noticed. And as far as I could remember before these terrible incidents happen to our world, the witches were furious at me for breaking the deal. I involved everyone, including Romulo's pack, believing that my plan of saving humanity will work, but it didn't. Perhaps this was the result of what I did. So I highly doubt Aiden's claim to be true. The pack, I believed, was the first target of the witches. Even if Romulo is a powerful alpha, his claws and fangs, or even his wealth don't stand a chance to someone who can cast magic. However, we can't stay in an empty school either. We need answers as soon as possible. I need to find someone to ask